Another Day in Paradise

We’re getting a lot of reminders lately to be grateful if we have a roof over our heads and we’re not sick. No argument there! So, from the frontlines of Zoom/email/homeschool paradise…

IEAHU Offers Free Stress Reduction Break April 9

The Inland Empire Association of Health Underwriters is offering a free stress reduction break on April 9 at 11a.m. The 30 minute live meditation with Cal Broker’s Naama O. Pozniak will happen at 11 a.m. IEAHU recommends that attendees log on a few minutes early to prepare. Register here and an invite link will be sent to you. Thank you, IEAHU!

Free Seminar- Don’t Quarantine Your Sales- April 18

Don’t miss this free three-hour sales seminar on April 18, starting at 8a.m. We see some of our favorites will be participating! Register here.

IICF Creates COVID-19 Children’s Relief Fund

In response to insurance industry people asking how they can help, the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation has created the COVID-19 Crisis: IICF Children’s Relief Fund. The fund will help support children at risk of food insecurity, educational disruption, family homelessness and other circumstances exacerbated by the pandemic. Go here to donate and select the division below to choose where you would like to designate your gift. Thank you, IICF!

MetLife Foundation Commits $25M to Global COVID-19 Response

MetLife Foundation announced it’s committing $25 million to the global response to COVID-19 in support of communities impacted by the pandemic. The grant funding from MetLife Foundation will span all regions where MetLife operates, and will address both short- and longer-term relief efforts. Initial grants will support communities and people with urgent needs for food, healthcare, childcare, and direct financial support. MetLife Foundation will also stand by its existing partners on the frontlines of helping low-income people and small businesses, helping them to respond quickly to emerging needs. As part of this commitment, MetLife Foundation and other MetLife entities have already pledged $4 million to relief efforts in Asia, EMEA, Latin America, and the United States, including $1 million to U.S. food banks to help them deal with increased demand for their services as a result of coronavirus. MetLife says that over time the foundation will closely monitor the global landscape for opportunities to deploy the remaining funds where they can make the biggest difference in helping people recover from the pandemic. Thank you, MetLife!

Financial Comeback from COVID-19 Doesn’t Look Good

If you want to be further concerned about the future and in particular the financial impact on all of us, read this. In a nutshell, economists don’t have the professional expertise to predict the virus’ course. So, pretty much, they don’t know. But 2020 doesn’t look too hot.

Aflac Signs Agreement to Acquire Group Benefits Business

Aflac Incorporated announced its insurance subsidiaries American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus and American Family Life Assurance Company of New York have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Zurich North America’s U.S. Corporate Life and Pensions business, which consists of group life, disability and absence management products.

Organization Focusing On Cancer and Critical Illness Insurance Is Relaunched

Jesse Slome announced the re-launch of the American Association for Critical Illness Insurance (AACII). Slome, who co-founded the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance in 1997 and subsequently an organization focused on Medicare Supplement insurance, established the critical illness insurance organization back in 2009. The Association recently re-launched its website which Slome intends to make the primary online resource for consumers seeking information. One of the key features Slome explains is a cost calculator where individuals can see costs for $10,000 of cancer-only protection. “The calculator is free, no personal information is needed to see the cost and I believe this will be a valuable resource sought by consumers,” Slome predicts. The organization is considering a future national conference exclusively focused on critical illness insurance along with ways to support insurance agents and brokers who market these products. More info here.

MENTAL HEALTH ETC

Teladoc Offers Guide to Mental Health Discussions

Teladoc is offering a free guide titled “Embracing Mental Health Discussions in the Workplace.” The guide aims to help you teach your clients how to have discussions about mental health. Check it out here.

CVS Health Adds New Vol Benefits

CVS Health announced a new line of voluntary benefits called Point Solutions Management. Sleep i.o. was the first wellness program added to the platform after its inception last year. New vendors include Hello Heart, for managing blood pressure and other cardiac conditions; Hinge Health, a digital exercise therapy platform for addressing chronic pain; Livongo, a diabetes and weight management tool; the caregiver support center Torchlight; and Whil, a mental health app that uses videos and exercises to build resilience. Read more at EBN.

VISION

UnitedHealthcare Increases Vision Coverage for Pregnant Women

UnitedHealthcare announced a change to vision coverage for expectant women. Under the plan changes, pregnant women qualify for a second annual eye exam. And women whose prescription changes by 0.5 diopter or more during pregnancy can also receive a new pair of glasses. UnitedHealthcare absorbs the cost of new glasses for these patients. Employers offering vision benefits through UnitedHealthcare are automatically participating in the vision plan upgrade at no additional charge

Access to Essential Medical Eye Care Services Expanded for VSP Members in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to meeting the needs of its members during the COVID-19 pandemic, VSP Global® announced it has expanded access to essential medical eye care services for most VSP Vision Care insured members and their covered dependents. It is effective through April 30, 2020 for most VSP members who do not already have this benefit. By doing so, these members now have access to supplemental medical eye care for the detection, treatment, and management of ocular and visual conditions, and can see their VSP network doctor in-person or remotely to get treatment for a variety of conditions including conjunctivitis, eye trauma, and sudden changes to vision. Members can also use their routine VSP coverage for lost or broken glasses or replacement contact lenses to meet immediate eyewear needs by contacting their VSP network doctor.

Recently, optometrists were included as essential critical infrastructure workers as part of guidance from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Additionally, as new legislation allows optometric physicians the flexibility and recognition to treat patients remotely, a webinar resource for VSP network doctors, “Optometry & Telemedicine During COVID-19,” is now available from Premier Academy360. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine can make it safer for doctors and patients by allowing doctors to communicate, evaluate, and manage certain eye health needs. The webinar explores guidelines and how a practice can implement telemedicine, as well as information about telemedicine coverage through VSP plans. It is available on-demand here. Additionally, Eyefinity is providing telemedicine functionality to all Eyefinity EHR users to enable efficient documentation and coding of remote patient consultations. This supports VSP network doctors’ ability to ramp up telemedicine capabilities for patients with essential eye care needs. In the coming weeks, Eyefinity is also slated to make available patient video chat technology for Eyefinity EHR users. As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, Premier Academy360 says it will accelerate efforts to offer free education and training resources for VSP network practices. Details will be shared in the weeks ahead, with access to resources on topics ranging from applying for Small Business Administration loans, to leadership, and financial management.

PEOPLE

Trutanich Qualifies for Soaring Eagle Award

The Leading Producers Round Table (LPRT) of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) is proud to announce that MaryAnna Trutanich of Kaiser Permanente has qualified to receive the association’s prestigious Soaring Eagle Award. The Soaring Eagle Award is the highest honor given by LPRT to recognize National Association of Health Underwriters members who have achieved the greatest success in demonstrating exceptional professional knowledge and outstanding client service. Trutanich is President of the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters/Agents, representing all agents and their clients.

EVENTS

The 2020 National Medicare Supplement Insurance Summit set to take place May 13-15, 2020, in Chicago will now be held June 2-4, 2021, according to the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance the conference organizers. The conference will take place at the Schaumburg Convention Center just outside of Chicago’s O’Hare airport. The 2021 conference will include its free day for insurance agents who market Medicare and other senior insurance products. Go here for more info.

CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit Rescheduled to August

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the CAHU Women’s Leadership Summit has been postponed from March to August 5-7, 2020, at the same location, the JW Marriott in Las Vegas. We are hopeful that all current participants, and those who were recently forced to cancel, will be able to join us in August. CAHU will automatically transfer event registrations to the new dates. If for some reason you can no longer attend, please contact Korey Platt by email for additional options.If you have any questions or concerns contact info@cahu.org.

LAAHU 2020 April Annual Sales Symposium Rescheduled to July

LAAHU will postpone the April 22 Sales Symposium, AdapTech until Friday, July 17, 2020. The event will take place at Skirball Center. More info at laahu.org.

Self-Fund SoCal April 16 Event Postponed

The Self-Fund SoCal 2020 April 16 event at the Woodland Hills Marriott has been postponed. A new date hasn’t been announced.

Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation Cancels All Events through April

The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) announced it will postpone IICF events planned through April. More info at IICF.org.

16th Annual BenefitsPRO Broker Expo 2020 will continue as planned in May

BenefitsPRO Broker Expo 2020 has said so far the show will go on. BenefitPro is scheduled for May 18-20 at the Hilton in Austin, Texas. For registration and general inquiries, please contact: Nicholas Crimi | ncrimi@alm.com | (855) 808-4540; Patrick Matysek | pmatysek@alm.com | (855) 808-4540